International Trade News

Don’t blame ocean carriers and bigger container ships for congestion at key ports; blame insufficient investment in equipment, dredging and automation at U.S. marine terminals, speakers said at the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach.

U.S. containerized imports in 2015 will increase a paltry 1.7 percent, dragged down by West Coast port congestion, JOC Economist Mario Moreno told the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach on Monday.

The top 20 Chinese ports had a throughput of 15.5 million 20-foot containers in January, with Shanghai and Shenzhen terminals handling almost half of them, according to Shanghai Shipping Exchange data.

Japan’s energetic farm-export drive is bearing fruit, as the country’s overseas shipments of agricultural, fishery and forestry products mushroomed 11.1 percent in 2014 from the previous year to a record high of 611.7 billion yen (US $5.14 billion).

An expected spike in China’s factory production in January in the buildup to a late Chinese New Year failed to materialize, with the official purchasing manager’s index (PMI) falling to a level not seen since 2012.